Email January 10, 2019

NEW THIS WEEK AT THE SHOP:

Greetings Strictly Discs shoppers! Here's the latest rundown of what's new in the shop, as we dive into a bright and shiny new year. Read on down to the bottom for an epic 2018 recap in the form of our Customer Top Ten!

The first much-awaited indie release of 2019 comes from the British band Kero Kero Bonito. 'Time N Place' captures the strange duality of this compelling band, who lackadaisically combine gleaming J-pop with clusters of noise rock. We've also now got the LP version of producer Metro Boomin's solo shot 'Not All Heroes Wear Capes'.

New jazz releases come to us on CD from Gregory Porter, whose live album 'One Night Only' comes with a DVD, and the latest from explosive Chicago sax player Greg Ward's Rogue Parade group.

Few acid folk records can rival the stark, newborn lucidity of Pearls Before Swine's 1968 statement 'Balaklava'. Plaintive and hopeful, then weak and wan, Tom Rapp and his merry band expressed their longing for a different world through a singular album that crosses baroque and traditional strains of folk with Leonard Cohen vibes to create an almost proto-peace punk sound world. This 50th anniversary restores the album's admittedly lean sound to a better quality than ever heard previous. We've also got an expanded 2 disc version of Zero 7's downtempo classic 'Simple Things'.

Two delights from soul reissue landia! A new label called Preservation is taking on some unreleased reels from Texas funk and black rock anti-heros, and they start off with a killer double single from Bruce Marshall and Bill Thomas that ticks the same boxes as Black Merda and Death. Before Antibalas and Daptone Records rose to fame, members of their retinue recorded the fake-out album 'Soul Explosion' by the Daktaris, said to be a long-lost afrobeat gem. Turns out it was some dudes from Brooklyn! Oops. Not sure how that would have gone down in the Twitter era but its all water under the bridge now. 'Soul Explosion' is 20 years old and meriting of its own reissue, and its still easy to see how this one hustled so many. Ethio-jazz and afro-funk perfection here.

Rhino starts our year off right with some limited color vinyl reissues of classics from their vaults. This week brings Aretha Franklin's 'Gold, greatest hits LPs from Alice Cooper and The Monkees, and Television's (somehow, still) underrated second album 'Adventure.' Each of these releases comes with a free Rhino calendar.

Unless you are a nerd of a certain age or a (Very) Proud Nebraskan, odds are you haven't heard of the band For Against, the Land of Lincoln trio who thrilled their cult following with a run of great records through the late 80s. Originally heavily influenced by Joy Division, the band's sound got brighter and more-multifaceted with each album, bridging the gap in American indie music between classic R.E.M. and the shoegaze movement. If you dig the freewheeling, spiritually ambiguous rock of bands like The Clean or Real Estate, dig on these immediately. 'Aperture' especially sounds like it could be the next Real Estate album. Lovely discoveries, here on CD and LP while they last!

We wrap up with two more oldie but goldies. Dave Van Ronk's early LP 'Ballads Blues & a Spiritual' has been lovingly restored in the old school Folkways style. Peep the original folkie hipster in full flight! We've also got a great expanded anniversary edition of The Doors classic 'Waiting For the Sun'.

We wrap up with a wide, wide variety of classic and cult soundtracks, a scattering of jazz including Miles Davis and George Duke, country from Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson, and a solid amount of hip hop from names like Nas, the Roots, Eminem and Rakim. Be sure to check out our latest additions to the new vinyl sale bin, located right next to the new arrivals! See you in the stacks!

USED CD ALERT:

Let Uncle Phil tossing Will Smith’s DJing compadre out the front door, let the word ring out: “Jaaaazzzzz!” We’re unleashing the opening salvo of a massive jazz cd collection we were lucky enough to score. Weekly readers know how I feel about Blue Note, so let’s lead with that. Titles include Bobby Hutcherson “Dialogue”; Jackie McLean “Destination Out”; Clifford Jordan & John Gilmore “Blowin’ In From Chicago”; Kenny Drew “Undercurrent.” Additionally, look for multiple albums from Art Blakey, Sonny Clark, Lou Donaldson and the aforementioned McLean. Not to be outdone, look for the following off of Impulse: Ahmad Jamal “The Awakening”; Pharoah Sanders “Tauhid”; Charlie Haden “Liberation Music Orchestra”; and foundation piece of any jazz collection, Oliver Nelson “Blues and the Abstract Truth.” There’s also Impulse sessions from label mainstay John Coltrane. Outside of those two labels, peep these ace sets: Bill Evans “Trio 64”; Thelonious Monk “Brilliant Corners”; and Charles Mingus “Mingus Ah-Um.” All this, and assorted loosies from The Art Ensemble of Chicago, Eric Dolphy and Abdullah Ibrahim. There’s more coming as promised, but don’t miss out on the opening course.